Trailer



Feb, Z, 1960 L. T. GALLETTA ETAL TRAILER 5 Sheets-Sheet l Filed April ll, 1956 INVENTORS lea Zvw//eli @d MTORNEYS Feb. 2, 1960 T. GALLETTA ET Al- 2923425 TRAILER 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 Il 1N VENTORS levZWa//ea/ ATTORNEYS Filed April 1l, 1956 www,

Feb. 2, 1960 1 T. GALLETTA ET AL 2,923,425

TRAILER 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 Filed April l1. 1956 S S w m ,f ,m WM. ,6, @xm y www TRAILER Leo 'E'. Galletta and Eugene B. Galletta, Savannah, Ga.

Application April 11, 1956, Serial No. 577,600

2 Claims. (Cl. 214-506) This invention relates to trailers, and particularly to trailers adapted for use in transporting small boats.

With the increasing popularity of water sports and the perfection of the outboard motor, a demand has arisen for trailers for transporting small boats from homes where they are kept to the Waterside. Trailers for the purpose are available, but most have drawbacks to their use from lack of strength or diiculty in loading and unloading the boat.

The object of the present invention is to provide a trailer of great strength having means to simplify the task of loading and unloading a boat.

Another object of the invention is to provide a trailer in which the boat support frame is tiltable relative to the draft frame.

Another object is the provision of a trailer wherein means are provided to adjust the position of the boat supporting frame relative to the draft frame.

A further object is to provide a trailer having a tandem wheel mount which may be shifted longitudinally of the frame in accordance with weight requirements.

Yet another object is to provide `a longitudinally tiltable hull support on the boat supporting frame which will change its position as the angle of the boat changes.

Other objects of the invention will-become apparent from the following disclosure of two embodiments thereof, when taken in conjunction with the drawings which accompany, and form part of this specification.

In the drawings:

Figure l is a side elevation of a boat trailer embodying the principles of the present invention;

Figure 2 is a top plan view thereof;

Figure 3 is a vertical section taken on the line 3-3 of Figure 1, showing in elevation a jack for tilting the boat supporting frame;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary, vertical, longitudinal sec tion through the front end of the trailer;

Figure 5 is a vertical, transverse section, taken on the line 5 5 of Figure 1;

Figure 6 is an exploded perspective view showing the rockshaft connection between the tandem wheel mount and the trailer frame;

Figure 7 is a transverse section taken on the line 7-7 of Figure 1;

Figure 8 is a horizontal section through the dolly wheel mount, and is taken on the line 8 8 of Figure 1;

Figure 9 is an enlarged fragmentary elevation of that wheel mount and adjacent parts of the trailer;

Figure l0 is a side elevation of a modified form of the trailer; A

Figure 11 is a top plan view of the trailer shown in Figure l0, and

Figure 12 is a rear elevation of the trailer frame.

Two trailers are shown, and the one shown in Figures 1 to 9 will be described rst.

The trailer consists of two frames, a draft frame 1, and a boat supporting frame 2. The draft frame is sup- States Patent rice `mounted in the hangers 8 and extends transversely of the assembly. Stay bars 12 are pivoted on the rock shaft and have their outer ends connected to the axles. The two frames are mounted on the rock shaft.

The draft frame comprises a tongue of channel side members 13 which converge toward the front of the trailer and are joined at the front by a mounting plate 14 for adolly wheel 15. A single channel member 16 projects forwardly from the dolly plate and carries a trailer hitch 17 at its forward end. A jack mechanism 13, to be described later in more detail, is also mounted on the forward portion of the tongue channel 16. At the rear, the side members 13 are connected by a crossbrace 19 with suitable gussets 20 at the corners for strengthening purposes. Behind the cross-brace, connecting members 21 project rearwardly parallel to one another. The members 21 are connected to the rock shaft by straps 22 which are pivotally connected to the rock shaft. The members Z1 and straps 22 are provided with a plurality of holes to receive fastening bolts. This connection will permit adjustment to vary the length `of the tongue. It will be seen that the draft frame will be free to tilt vertically about the rock shaft.

The dolly wheel 15 is pivotally mounted beneath the plate 14 as at 23, so that the dolly can be swung to ground engaging position or raised as desired. A locking pin 24 may be used to pass through brackets 25 on the dolly mount and an ear 26 on the wheel fork to hold the dolly in operative position.

A support bracket 27, mounted on each end of the rock shaft, forms a rotatable mounting for the boat-supporting frame 2. This frame is composed of a pair of truss members 28 which are continuous from one end of the frame to the other. From the forward edge of the tandem assembly rearwardly, the trusses 23 are parallel to one another and are connected near their back ends by cross-brace 29. A'second cross-brace 30 extends between the trusses at the forward ends of their parallel portions. A third cross-brace 31 is positioned intermediate the braces 29 and 30. At the junctures of all of the braces with the truss members gussets 32 are provided. From the ends of the trusses diagonal braces extend forwardly to be joined to the cross-brace 29. lt will be noted that the portion of the boat-supporting frame between the parallel sections of the trusses has a box-like construction which, with the addition of the triangular sections at the rear, provides an area of unusual rigidity both horizontally and vertically.

At the forward end, the truss members converge to meet at the front. They are joined at the front by a plate 33 which serves as a platform to mount a winch stand 34. The winch stand is rather high so that the winch 35 which it carries will not pull downward onV a boat being loaded. v

Due to the triangular front and rear sections of the support, the rectangular central sections and the truss side members, the support frame is rigidly held against bending or twisting under load.

The brackets 27 are attached to the frame by means of bolts. The brackets have openings 36 to receive bolts 37 which also pass through openings 38 in the bottom rail of the truss members of the support frame. Additional The axles are connected by leaf springs 6 boltedy are mounteda pluralitylof horizontally disposedrllers',

40 thatthe boat .keel'may ride over to reduccfifrict'ion in loadingand launching. A similar roller `41 is mounted in on a cross-member 42 near the front'of the support'fplatf form. Also attachedlto this cross-member at the endsY are transverse cradle blocks-lili These; blocks are pivotally attached to be rockable so. thattheyuayadjust themselves atly against a boat hull. L

At the rear,` Aof the frame, longitudinally extending cradle block s 4A are pivotally connected to the 'cross-'brace 29. These.v blocks are spaced apart and tiltable sothat they may serve as skids in launching and loading a boat.

Due to its'pivotal mounting," the supprt frame'rnay be tilted to facilitate launching 'and loadingoperationsfh It isessential however that the supportfr'ajrneA be held in all positions of adjustment and not be Vfree tilting.n To

accomplish this, the winch stand 34'is provided with a forward extension 45 to cooperate with the jack 18,. The jack is of the screwtype, having a vertical jack screw 46 supported in a suitable framework 47, and provided with a crank 48 at the top by whichfit can bev rotated. A jack seat 49Y is mounted on the screw and movable therealong when the screw isrotated. 'As the tilting movement of the boat rsupport frame and winch stand will be arcuate, the extension 45 on the Awinch stand is-'in the form of a loop surrounding the jack and rests 'on' rollers 50 mounted at the sides of the jack seat. Vertical brackets 51 from the jack'seats entend along the sides' of extension 45 and a pin 52 through the brackets engages the top of the extension to lock it between the rollers Tand the pin. Thus, as the jack is raised or lowered the boat support frame will be tilted about its pivot and held in any desired position of adjustment. k v

The winch stand is provided with a locking bracket 53 which is engaged by toggle 54 pivotally connected to the draft frame and swingable to overlie the" locking bracket. A fasteningscrew 55 having crank lS6'is'1sed to clamp the support frame Vin horizontal'position.4

' When itis desired to launch la boat,vthe trailer will be backed down to the waters edge, the toggle released and the jack operated to raise the front end of theV boat sup-S port platform and lower vthe back end to the Ysurface of the water. The winch will'then be' roperated-'tojpermit the boat to slide down the support on the Irollers.V A reverse procedure'will be used for loading.

' In the modification shown in Figures 1- 0 to 12, the draft and support frames are a single unit. In this yform only two wheels 5,7 are used, mounted `on an axle 58,`

suspended by springs 59from the frame.

The frame is composed of side members 60` of` truss "form which extend the full length ofthe trailer. In the rearward section of the trailer the side 'members are' parallel and connectedby a rear cross-member 61, a forward cross-member 62 and an intermediate crossmember 63. Braces`64 and 65 extend angularly vacross the corners to add rigidity to the rear rectangularfpor7 tion of the frame. From the brace 62 forward, the side members converge to meet at the front, forming a trif". n avg.

"assegna c v angular section which serves to brace the rectangular rear section. A winch stand 66 and a trailer hitch 67 are mounted at the front end.

Here, again, as in the rstfform of the invention, the rectangular and triangular frame sections are utilized to brace one another in a horizontal plane, andthe side frames are in the form ofctrusses to prevent vertical distortions.V 'Ihis combination of elements and their particular arrangement provide av frame of great rigidity.

Forward cradle blocks 68 are pivotally mounted on a transverse brace" 69 extending between' the converging portions of the side members. Additional cradle blocks 70 aremounted at therreanon the cross-brace 61. Each of the cross-members will have mounted'upon ita roller 71 upon which the boat may roll in loading or launching. While in the above two practical embodiments of the invention have been disclosed, itrwill be understood that the preciset details of structure described and shown are merelyby way of example andthe invention may take other forms within `the scopeof theappended claims. Whati'selairndis 1. In a boat trailer, a Wheeled draft frame, a boat sup#` porting frame pivotally mounted intermediate its length to said draft frame, said boatfsupporting frame having a pair of side members of truss formation extending the t lengths thereof, said boat supporting frame having a reci tangular medial section in which the side members are parallel4 and connected by cross-members, rear sections in which the side members are parallel and"h'ave` their ends connected to the rearmost crosslmember" of the medialrectangular section to form two triangular :sections to braceY and stit'fen the `medial section in a horizontalplane, and a forward section in which the` side members convergefto'meet at the front to form an additional triangular section to further stiffen the rectangularmedial` t section, means to move said boat supporting-frameabout, its'pivot,V cradle blocks longitudinally positionedand pivotallyrnounted on transverse pivots at the rear of said boat supporting frame to support the stern of ahull and serve as skids in loading and launching the boat@ J 2. In a boat trailer as claimed in claim l, said/wheeled` draft frame comprising a frame, a rock shaft carried by said frame and forming the 4pivotal connection between t i the draft and boat supporting frames,1pairs `of stay .bars

having their Vends pivotally mounted on .thefrock shaft with the stay bars of opposing pairs extcndingtinopposite directions from the rock shaft and having theirfree' ends attached to a pair! oflspaced wheel axles, 'and an upwardly convex leaf spring attached at its center yto the rockshaft andohaving its free ends in` contact with the wheel iXlCS- ReferencesCited inthe'le of-,this'patexjtt,`

Y UNITED: STATES PATIENTS l 

